An engineered explosion of erroneous exposition.

Japanese Oranges

Skin spits
as my fingernails
dig
into the supple peel
in my powerful grip
I’ve seen this before
only differently
a snake
lay with half its face
melted off
on a train track
in my boyhood
must have been sunning itself
I picked it up
feeling genuine pity
it was frightened
Death
had paid this creature
a visit, and would
be back before long

Looking about
for a safe resting place, I
might’ve cried
had the damnable thing
not bit
the hand of sympathy